The day of the 12th Annual 12th Annual Maryland Wine Comptroller’s Cup Awards, dawned bright and clear. By 10:30am we were at Catoctin Breeze Vineyard, located outside of Frederick, Maryland where the sky was a bright blue with snow white, fluffy clouds. The awards ceremony, with Comptroller Franchot presenting the awards, was held on the patio of the recently added tasting room.

It was impressive to see and hear the enthusiasm of the Comptroller, winemakers, winery owners and the media. After the awards ceremony, everyone gathered inside the tasting room to enjoy appetizers and taste the award winning Maryland wines.

As Terry mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Catoctin Breeze Vineyard was awarded Best in Show for their delightful Cabernet Franc 2016.

The Maryland wines I tasted included Great Shoals Winery Northern Spy cider. The cider was a yellow/light gold color. The aroma reminded one of the scent of fresh apples. The taste was similar to apple pie with hist of apple pie and tartness. The finish was long and apple-y.

Layton’s Chance Boberry Strawberry was a translucent orange color with a red hue. The aroma was intense with strawberry-like notes reminding one of strawberry shortcake. Again the taste reminded one of strawberry shortcake with a bit of acidity. Terry remarked that the taste reminded him of strawberry freezer jam as the wine did not have a cooked strawberry flavor. The finish with strawberry notes was long. The strawberry wine was “summer in a glass.”

Robin Hill Farm & Vineyards’ Home Sweet Home 2016, a dessert wine, was a dark ruby color. The wine was sweet with notes of chocolate and raspberry. 

Far Eastern Shore Winery offered the Dream NV produced with raspberries and chocolate. This dessert wine was brown with orange hues. The wine was sweet and full-bodied. The aroma had a vast scent of chocolate. The taste was sweet with notes of chocolate and fruit. The finish was sweet with enough acidity to make it “finger licking good.”

Be sure to watch the Maryland wine industry as it continues to rapidly grow. View many of Wine Trail Traveler’s Maryland winery articles online.

Cheers!
Kathy